Latvala and Wood were both members of the St. Simons Island chapter of the Experimental Aircraft Association. Latvala told Action News the FAA labels any plane that is built by an individual “experimental,” which is something he calls an unfortunate label.

“They certainly are not unsafe…They still have to go through the annual inspection just like regular aircraft do, certified aircraft do,” Latvala said.

The plane Wood was flying was a Murphy Renegade bi-plane.

“The airplane that he bought had flown before. Ron took 2 to 3 years to reassemble it and fix it,” Latvala said.

The plane is now going to be examined by the FAA as it tries to find out what caused the crash.